Sonata of a Lone Wolf
by Cogitata
Summary: Akane died, yet she lived. How? Why? When she decided to finally get her questions answered once and for all... Being rudely awakened to the world of Hunters was not what she expected.
1. Remembrance x and x Revelation

**A/N: Hello! So, this is something I've wanted to write for a while... And it's my first fanfic...**

 **For those of you wondering, this begins a little more than a year prior to Gon's Hunter Exam, but the plot will eventually merge with the main storyline after a couple of chapters. And there _will_ eventually be a pairing...**

 **Anyway, please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. Not me. I do own my OC's though.**

* * *

 _Pain._

In this infinitesimal moment reality has twisted. The only thing I see is the steel blade lodged in my chest. The only thing I feel is the pain and the warm, sticky fluid slowly draining out of me. The air is thick with the taste and scent of iron.

 _So this is death._

My killer pulls back his sword and I fall to my knees, a part of me slowly drifting into oblivion as my vision suddenly flashes white.

* * *

It was nearing dusk. The amber light shining through the forest was soft and gentle on my face. It was peaceful, serene, and utterly unfitting for this gory scene.

I gritted my teeth as I tried to bandage up the stab wound in my torso, using cloth I'd ripped from my pants. My hands were still shaking, my heart pounding in my chest like a crazed drumbeat. Blood, coppery red blood, blood everywhere. Glistening on the grass and splattered on my clothes, smeared and drying to a dull brown.

I involuntarily shivered, thinking of how his sword had glinted red in the fading sunlight as he'd jabbed it forward and sliced through my muscles - how his eyes had flashed with excitement… The excitement of a kill. Vaguely I wondered if he had ever hurt anyone else before he got to me...

 _But I thought I died. So why am I still alive?_

I winced as I tightened the now blood-soaked rags around my wound. It hurt like hell, even if it had somehow already begun to heal.

 _Freakin' sicko...sadist...You freakin' jerk…What did I ever do to you..._

 _Have fun in the afterlife_ , I thought savagely. And then I immediately felt sick with guilt. The man was dead, his body broken. By my hand, or someone else's? I didn't know. All I did know, was that I had lost consciousness and had woken up next to the corpse of my would-be killer, along with the stab wound that should have been fatal but wasn't.

 _Why?_

I turned my attention to his body, swallowing the bile rising up in my throat. Right now, I had no other way to get answers. So, trying not to look at the twisted expression on his face, I searched his pockets. Anything to tell me why he had tried to kill _me_ , an unimportant 12-year-old girl… Seriously, who tries to murder a kid in the middle of nowhere? I'm not secretly a mafia boss or something, am I? Who knew that a simple errand to the city would turn out like this...

In the first pocket I checked, there was an odd-looking knife...and a fully-loaded gun of some sort. _Surprise, surprise_. Being careful not to cut myself, I bent the knife blade and then unloaded the bullets from the gun, throwing everything into the nearby lake as far as I could just to be safe. Watching them sink into the lake's murky depths was strangely satisfying... Ah, sweet, sweet revenge. Sort of. My eyes lingered on the ripples on the lake before I turned to the other pockets.

 _A cell phone…Something made of paper...a photo?_

I reeled in shock as I looked at it, my hand subconsciously drifting up to the locket around my neck. Besides me, there were two other people in the photo, both smiling in a loving embrace. My parents.

Even though I could only recall hazy memories of what they looked like, I knew it was them. Even if I hadn't seen their faces for over eight years, only able to hear their words through the letters they had sent.

 _Well, shiiiiit._

 _…Don't tell me he went after them too…?_

I froze as I became aware of the faint sound of breathing. The guy was still alive. He wasn't dead as I'd thought.

 _Better run home._

* * *

"So - someone tried to kill you, but you escaped. And _left him alive_."

Funny how he was able to glare at me, while still being relieved that I'd managed to survive relatively unscathed.

"That's right," I said, a little stung that he was scolding me rather than acting concerned about my well-being. I mean, I almost got seriously injured just now! Was this guy heartless or what?

Mizu continued ranting. "Do you realize that he might return with more people or weapons after this?! He may have been weak, but if he comes back he certainly won't be!"

Actually, I thought of that. But I'm only twelve - I don't want to stain my hands with death this early in life. No normal person would. For a moment I was puzzled that Mizu didn't understand this.

 _Or have you killed before...?_

...Besides, after our fight, I'm sure he'd be in no condition to chase after me for a while. Not to mention, he wouldn't know where to find me. Mizu's house is in the mountains, far away from the place where we fought.

"Anyway, he had this," I muttered sullenly, taking out the photo, "and here's his phone. I looked through it on my way back. His name seems to be Gairu."

Mizu paused in his face-palming to look at the photo. His eyes narrowed, recognition washing over his face.

 _Mizuken. What do you know...that I don't?_

* * *

 _Eight years ago._

Mizuken watched with amusement as the young girl, only four years old, scampered up a tree with surprising speed and dexterity...to chase a squirrel that had stolen her peanuts.

"Nate, that kid is going to run wild if you keep letting her do that kind of thing," he said to the raven-haired man squatting on his roof.

Nate just laughed and jumped down to sit next to him on the front step of the house. "Well, Senka doesn't care, and I'm sure she knows what she's doing…"

Mizuken gave him an incredulous look. "You're not worried that she'll hurt herself?"

"Nope!"

"..."

"Hey, stop looking at me like that! Akane's a tough kid. She'll be fi-"

 _SNAP._

Both men whipped their heads around as Akane tumbled from her perch in a shower of leaves, clutching the poor unfortunate squirrel in one pudgy hand while trying to snag nearby branches with the other.

"Oh sh-"

Nate lunged forward, but Senka got there first, gracefully catching her before she hit the ground. With a toss of her long blonde hair, she brushed past them with an appraising glance and carried Akane into the house.

"So...you were saying?" Mizuken raised an eyebrow as Nate gave him a sheepish look.

"Well, you saw Senka. If Akane falls, we catch her."

"Is that so..."

"But from now on, that'll be _your_ job!"

Nate grinned as Mizuken gave him a questioning look. "You see, Senka and I both got a commission. We'll be joining a couple of other Hunters, but we can't take Akane along with us; it's too dangerous, for once. So, could you, as our one and only best of friends, please take care of Akane for us while we're gone? Pleeeeeease?"

Mizuken just stared.

And stared.

And stared some more.

Did he _look_ like he was good with kids?

In the end, after a lot of pestering from Nate, he'd reluctantly accepted. But as it turned out, raising an energetic four-year-old wasn't actually as bad as he'd originally thought. As she grew older, she became a huge help as a...personal servant... And she had potential, he could see that: after training her in self-defense, it became clear that she had apparently inherited the skills of her parents (what a lucky kid!). But even despite all of this, a vague sense of foreboding lingered in the back of his mind.

 _Eight years._ Nate and Senka did not visit. Their letters came approximately twice a year - and then they stopped. Sometimes, when he lay in the dark trying to sleep and brooded about things, he wondered where they had gone. Or whether they had…

No. He dismissed his doubts. They were some of the best Hunters he knew...

* * *

"Mizu," I said quietly in a controlled voice. "Tell me the truth."

"...And what do you mean by that?"

"You've always been hiding stuff from me. For example...where my parents are, what they've been doing… Maybe then I'd know why someone who just _happens_ to have a photo of the three of us would ever try to murder someone like me."

Mizu sighed and was silent for a long time, stroking the uneven stubble on his chin with an expression of uncharacteristic seriousness. If the situation wasn't so somber I would have giggled, but at the moment I was just angry. Because, I had almost _died_ , and my parents might have died already, and I still didn't know why.

"Akane…"

"Tell me."

"You know, there is a reason I haven't told you about certain things…"

"Oh really? What's the reason?"

"..."

I got up stiffly, making sure to slam my hands on the table with a lot of force as I did so. "Fine. If you won't tell me about my own parents, I guess I'll just have to find out by myself then."

"Akane? Hold on, where are you going?"

"Away."

"No, you're not! Don't forget that I'm still your sensei - and you, you're not strong enough to fend for yourself, your injuries haven't even healed yet -"

Dark emotions were starting to swirl around inside me. I knew I shouldn't be so angry. But…

"Don't underestimate me," I snapped. "And what about my parents? You haven't told me anything about them for eight years, always saying that they're fine because they're just away on a job -"

"Akane?"

"- and now this Gairu dude is targeting us? How do I know if they're even alive? Or if _I'll_ stay alive?"

"Well -"

"You've always told me to not worry about any of it, well look what happened now -"

"Alright, alright! Akane!" Mizu was looking extremely agitated. Good, we were finally getting somewhere. Maybe I'd finally get my questions answered…

"Sit down," he said tiredly. "I'll tell you what I know…"

I sat, and I listened. But even with all his explanations…

I still felt incomplete. I had lost something after Gairu killed me, and it wasn't coming back.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it! The first chapter. It's not my best...kind of short too...but, well, it _is_ the first chapter and all...hopefully it'll get better later on when there's more action.**

 **That aside, please review (or not, you don't have to) and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism (or praise, I'd love praise) is appreciated! The next chapter will probably be up in a week or two, depending on whether or not people seem to like where the story is going...**

 **Fun fact: Akane's name, in Japanese, means "madder." Madder is a flowering plant that is usually harvested for the red dye that can be made from it. Both the flowers and red color are pretty...**


	2. Departure x Fights x Daybreak

**A/N: Hello again! This chapter is slightly longer than the first, but I guess it's still rather short compared to other stories out there... Oh well. They'll get longer eventually.**

 **By the way, this chapter has two long fight scenes (for the purpose of character development). If you don't like reading those...I'm sorry.**

 **And finally, thanks to the people who reviewed/favorited/followed my story! It's encouraging to know that some people actually like it~**

 **Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. Not me. I do own my OC's though.**

* * *

When Akane woke up she lay in bed for a long time just listening to the birds outside, watching the early morning sunlight creep its way across the ceiling.

 _Snap!_

She tensed as a twig cracked, somewhere outside her window - _did the psycho find me?_

After a minute passed, she slowly let out the breath she had been holding and jumped out of bed. Almost as if she had planned ahead while she slept, she began to hastily stuff her backpack with clothes, necessities, and anything even remotely useful that was within reach. If even Mizu couldn't answer all her questions, despite the long talk they'd had last night, then she'd have to do it herself.

 _My parents were Hunters._

For a moment, that was one of the only thoughts that went through her head as she mindlessly shoved objects into her bag.

 _Blacklist Hunter and Archaeological Hunter...?_

She stared blankly at a random shirt she had picked up before packing it in.

 _Proficient Nen Users, whatever that means...You don't tell me anything, Mizu..._

A small knife from Mizu went into the bag too.

 _A woman named Misaki Kumigawa knows where they are. Possibly._

Out of habit she ran a hand through her long, jet-black hair, just like her father's. Senka had blonde hair, but Akane inherited her eyes instead: silvery-gray, with flecks of black.

 _Misaki Kumigawa is a fighter at Heaven's Arena._

Mizu had been very reluctant to tell her about that bit of information. He seemed to be wary of this Misaki woman: to fear her, even. "I really wouldn't go to her if I were you, even if she was friends with Senka and Nate," he'd warned her. Not that it changed her mind. Apparently the only thing scary about her was her temper. And besides, she was the only one with any info on her parents.

 _Heaven's Arena, huh…_

* * *

"Uh…?"

The receptionist gave me a confused look when she saw me, probably because I am a girl and had the small build of a kid. After all, most of the fighters here at the Arena were muscled macho men.

Before she could say anything along the lines of 'are you sure you should be standing here?' I asked, "Excuse me, do you know a fighter named Misaki Kumigawa?"

She blinked for a few seconds before answering me. "oh, of course! She's a floormaster here, she's extremely famous!"

"Oh. Okay. Is there any way for me to meet her?"

Out of nowhere the receptionist's eyes glinted with a spark of excitement - and then she went into a looong rant about how one must fight their way up through the ranks, earning millions of Jenny in addition to glory and fame and all that fun stuff…

"...and with ten wins past the 200th floor, you'll have the right to challenge a floormaster!"

Blah, blah, blah… By the time she finished I had zoned out and taken to staring at the posters on the walls, particularly one that featured a dazzling picture of a certain woman: Misaki, of course. So she really was a big-shot, huh…Was this why Mizu was so worried?

"So, you're saying that I'll have to fight to meet her?"

The receptionist looked at me as if I were crazy. "Yes! Misaki-sama only comes out from her rooms to fight! But, uh, someone like you should probably wait a few years…?"

"Don't care. Sign me up."

* * *

"Contestant #1931, please come to the ring!"

I bounced out my seat as soon as my number was called, practically skipping into the first floor arena. My first match of the day! Whoo! Not to mention, one of the first fights I would be having with someone other than Mizu! He was a good sparring partner, but he never went easy on me during training... Oh, and that psycho Gairu (who I never want to see again).

My adversary was a lanky guy dressed in nothing but a loincloth.

 _Agh! My eyes! They burn!_

I tried not to stare too much, fixing my gaze on a spot directly above his head.

He gave me a crooked smile as he stepped into the ring, immediately assuming a hunched stance when I got into position. In the background I could hear laughter and incredulous exclamations from the crowd, likely directed at me. Yay, more sexism...though I did understand their reasoning. But whatever.

"On the first floor, the fights are a way to judge your skill!" an announcer told us. "You'll have three minutes to show us what you're capable of - so on the count of three!" He held up a hand. "Three...two...one...START!"

"You know, you can give up if you're not up to it," my opponent drawled. "Because even if you're a little girl, I won't hold back. Hey," he straightened up and mockingly beckoned me forward. "I'll even let you take a free hit at me!"

 _Typical last words. Oh, you'll regret it._ I grinned.

"Don't go back on your offer then," I said as I walked forward. True to his word, he did not move as I approached. Didn't look apprehensive at all - just amused. And he was smirking. My hand clenched as I was gripped by sudden urge to completely wipe it off his face.

"Well, here goes nothing!"

And then I swiftly punched him in the stomach. Simple as that.

...Except, I apparently used too much strength, because he went flying into the far wall, and the loincloth flapped upwards and - _OH GOD MY EYES, someone get me eyedrops! EMERGENCY! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!_ Too late did I throw up my hands to shield my innocence. Oh, my poor eyes! I'm scarred for life!

"WOW! And it turns out contestant #1931 packs a powerful punch!" a commentator shouted with a noticeable tinge of surprise. "She sent #1870 out of the ring - and the referee says he's unconscious! It's a KO and victory for #1931!"

Someone came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder. "You can go up to the 40th floor," he said monotonously, as if he hadn't noticed that a little girl just utterly pwned a man twice her age and obliterated a wall. "Your winnings are at the registration desk."

 _Wait, what?_

By this point I had recovered from the...previous unpleasant shock, only to be met with another:

 _I only made it to the 40th floor?!_

* * *

I stared at the "winnings" in my hand, yet another unpleasant shock awaiting me.

 _I only won 150 Jennys?!_

* * *

Six matches later, I was feeling pretty grumpy despite my successes. Barely any of the other contestants had really taken me seriously, even when I repeatedly finished each match within ten seconds using one decisive hand chop to the back of the neck. No more punching and unpleasant surprises for me! But of course, no one really seemed to notice except the people who were making money through bets.

"100th floor," intoned the elevator speakers. And then…

"Yasssss!" My own room! Finally, a way to escape the stares of suspicious, condescending machos! Plus, my next match was scheduled to be the next day, given the late hour (it was past 11:00 pm now) so I'd have plenty of time to relax. Freeedooommmm~

But meanwhile, I'd still seen neither head nor tail of Misaki Kumigawa, the one responsible for my trek through the Heaven's Arena. Based on the pictures I'd seen, she was a beautiful woman: she had silky, wavy, neon-blue hair down to her waist; large violet eyes; fair skin, a nice figure… Hard to believe that such a delicate-looking person could be a floormaster. But then again, I'd never seen her fight, so I had no way of knowing.

 _I wonder just how powerful she can be…_

 _What will she tell me about my parents? Ah, is she a Hunter too? Hmmm..._

 _I think I'll try to become a Hunter as well._

The bed was soft and comfortable. Sleep came easily, and I drifted into dreamland blissfully unaware of the chaos to come.

* * *

I sighed as I leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes as the fighters before me cleared out of the ring. I had about 11 hours until I had to register for my next match, so I'd decided to kill time by watching other fights. Not exactly the best way to relax, but ever since I had a match with _him_ , I started feeling this inexplicable urge to grow stronger. Perhaps so that if I ever fought again with someone like him, I wouldn't be so...scared. After all, from here on out all the fighters would just get stronger and stronger…

 _Two hours ago._

"Three...two...one...START!" the announcer screamed.

On the 190th floor, my opponent was a stocky man named Ryuugi. He looked like a thug, to be honest: from head to foot, everything he wore was shiny black leather except for his sunglasses. And he seemed more experienced than any of the opponents I'd had so far. Fighting this guy would definitely be harder...

"I already know your fighting style," he told me with a lazy grin. He put up his guard, holding up his fists in front of him. "And here's a serious warning...just forfeit. I'm stronger than the other scum you've been fighting."

Just as I'd done in all my previous matches, I ignored the implied threat, zipped behind him and readied my hand to make a chop -

"That won't work on someone of my level," he said with an eerie smile.

For a second I felt almost frozen. He had caught my wrist before I could deliver the finishing blow! Panic pulsed through me as his grip tightened, bruising my arm; he drew back his other hand, about to make a punch - for a moment I thought I saw the Grim Reaper guiding his fist.

Finally I jerked out of my initial shock and jabbed a pressure point in his wrist, numbing his right hand and forcing him to let go of me. Without wasting any time I quickly jumped backwards to put some distance between us, my heart pounding uncontrollably. Looking at him now, I could clearly see that he was far more powerful than the other contestants. Not just more experience! Heck, this man was likely stronger than _me_ in terms of raw strength! I had to be especially cautious of his punches; one blow would probably deal serious damage, maybe even break a few bones… He could potentially kill me, if that was allowed.

"And for the first time, Akane seems to be having trouble!" the commentator was yelling. "Her reliable one-hit chop has been stopped! What does Ryuugi have up his sleeve?! Will he be able to shatter her winning streak?!"

 _Shut up, shut up! Argh, I can't let myself lose composure! Calm down, calm down. Even if this guy is stronger than the rest, you can still beat him!_

I took a deep breath. Ryuugi was calmly massaging his wrist, just standing there waiting for me to make a move. Well, I'd have to strategize this time.

 _WOOSH._

I ducked as his fist suddenly went sailing past my head with incredible force, so powerful that I could feel the gust of wind that trailed in its wake. _Holy shit this guy is strong!_ In response, I threw my own punch at him but - seriously?! He'd caught my hand again! I growled, not about to be scared off a second time. Without further ado I wrenched my hand out of his grip and kicked him in the stomach with full force.

Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the effect that I'd wanted. Unlike certain previous contestants who'd gone flying into the walls, he only grimaced and stumbled back a short distance. As for me, my foot ached and stung after the kick. His leather jacket had felt as hard as rock, just like armor! It must have absorbed the impact. _Cheater!_ But there wasn't anything to be done about it now. The leather armor covered his whole body except his hands and face…

 _Now, how to hit his head without getting caught…? Or maybe..._

"And they're both exchanging deadly blows! Who will be the first to break through?! Will it be Ryuugi, with his strength, or Akane, with her speed?!"

Again I rushed forward and tried to chop at his neck with my hand.

"Again? That kind of move won't work on me," he said as his hand grasped my arm again. "You're stuck now. So, will you forfeit? I don't want to hurt you too much."

In reply, I swiftly slammed my other fist onto his forehead with an audible _thud_.

At such a close range, he didn't have time to block: down he went, probably with a concussion. Another KO. My hands were still shaking slightly as I stepped down from the ring. I was unusually jittery as a result of the fight and only vaguely aware of the stinging in the hand that I had used to punch his head.

"Congratulations, you may go to the 200th floor," someone said to me. "Good luck."

 _The 200th floor! Finally! But why...am I not excited…?_

 _Because I'm afraid, that's why._

 _..._

And now, back to the present.

Apparently I was right about Ryuugi's concussion. He'd be confined to his bed for a few months, however, because his skull had cracked slightly where I'd hit it...ouch. He didn't seem too angry about it though, when I went to apologize (being the nice girl that I am, haha). And it turned out that I was wrong about his 'leather armor'. He actually just had rock-hard muscles… To be honest, I likely would not have been able to beat him if he hadn't given me so many openings by asking me to forfeit (motives currently unknown).

Argh. How did I win, exactly…?

With no more matches to watch I stumbled out from the stands, so lost in thought that I almost missed her as she walked by. But there was no mistaking who she was: her figure was featured on TV's all over the place, after all.

"Misaki?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hmm... Again not really my best, I think. It sounded kind of weird when I read it over... But get hyped, because the next chapter will have a lot of things happening! And a certain character finally makes an appearance~**

 **Anyhow, do review! In particular, tell me whether you actually like reading fight scenes. I don't mind writing them but I don't want to bore anyone.**

 **Fun fact(?): Mizuken IS a canon character (though his name is dubious), in case no one knew, and as part of Akane's training he ordered her to run to the nearest city and back, every day, to get food and such. While carrying extra weights, that is. And using no bags. All within two hours.**


	3. Challenge x 200th x Nen

**A/N: Yay, third chapter! And as I stated in the last chapter, a certain someone makes their appearance~ Well, you can probably guess who it is, I think.  
**

 **Without further ado... Read!  
**

 **Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. Not me. I do own my OC's though.**

* * *

She turned around, looking every bit as beautiful as she had appeared in the posters - but her face scrunched up as soon as she saw me, becoming much colder. _Oh dear._

"Who're you?" the woman said in a strange accent. She stared down her nose at me, her long fake eyelashes fluttering as she blinked disdainfully.

"I'm Akane Chitose," I mumbled, slightly nonplussed at the venom in her response. "Er… You are Misaki, right?"

She haughtily tilted her head. "Of course I am."

"And you knew my parents? I mean, Senka and Nate Chitose. Does that sound familiar to you?" _Dear god, Mizu. You sure this is the right person?_ The way she stood there with her hands on her hips and her head tilted back in an aloof manner, all while sneering down at me with those overly-glossed blue lips, was really ticking me off.

"And what about them?"

"Uh, do you know how I could find them?"

There was a long, awkward silence as Misaki paused to eye my clothing, her nose visibly wrinkling in distaste at the sight of my (slightly dirty) tunic and scuffed leather boots. The hostility radiating off of her was almost palpable. I quickly became aware of how tall she was as she leaned downwards until I could see every single grain and lump in the heavy makeup on her face.

"Why yes, I do. But I have no obligation to tell you. Now, shoo! I am busy." No sooner had she said this that she turned around and began to walk away with her heels clicking softly on the floor tiles. How troublesome… _I'm never going to get near my parents like this..._

"Wait, wait! Why won't you tell me? I really need to know!"

She whirled around, her hair streaming behind her. "Listen. I don't associate with... _children_ or the _weak_ -"

"Hey, how am I a weakling? I'm qualified to go to the 200th floor!"

"Don't make me laugh. You're telling me that you, a scrawny little girl, actually managed to make it that far..? Leave me be. I don't have time for you. I only talk to the strong! What's more…" Misaki gave me a hard poke in the chest, sending me stumbling backwards. "You aren't even capable of using Nen!"

She just snickered at the blank look on my face and sauntered off. And when I tried to follow, an invisible wall seemed to block me from going down the hallway to her. A solid wall that I couldn't see, but seemed to pulse with life and energy - the same kind of energy that I felt stirring sleepily within me whenever I had meditated at Mizu's. _How did she do that?_

"Misaki- _sama_ , would you please - ?"

"I'll only talk to you if you can beat me in a match," she called without turning around. "...But it's a thousand years too soon for you."

 _Just had to rub it in, did you? Seriously, why do you all think I'm weak?! I know I'm young but-!_

"Misaki!" I shouted out of desperation, ignoring the stares from random passerby. But she didn't reply, just kept on going. And soon she had disappeared so fast that I couldn't see where she had gone.

 _Nen?_

* * *

The moment I stepped off the elevator at the 200th floor, I was greeted by a lovely blast of bloodlust and murderous intent. What a nice welcome, did I mention that the fighters here are all so friendly?...not. Did _none_ of them know how to chill out? And did none of them know the phrase, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Even though I'm a 12-year-old girl, I've been training with Mizu-sensei for years. I have _some_ experience, don't look down on me!

"I think you're on the wrong floor, missy," someone growled.

Ugh. Can't get a break.

I glanced over to see a bulky middle-aged man sitting by the wall. _Oh, but this one doesn't seem very strong. No danger._ I just ignored him and kept walking towards the registration desk.

A loud _thunk_ echoed throughout the room as something was slammed into the floor. "Kid, are you ignoring me?" _Why yes, I am. What a clever observation._

In the corner of my eye I could see that he had stuck a large mace into the ground and gotten up from where he was sitting. Well, that escalated quickly…

For a few seconds nothing happened as I went on my merry way...and then, BAM! In a flash I spun around and grabbed his outstretched arm, slamming his fist into the floor as I twisted my body out of the way.

 _CRACK._

My eyes widened in shock as giant cracks split the floor where his punch had landed, chunks of tile and rubble flying outwards as a wave of energy pulsated through the ground with unexpected force.

 _What-?!_

I leapt away from him, mind racing. The same energy that I'd felt from Misaki's barrier - here it was again! But this time, the mysterious power had reinforced his punch!

Could this...could this possibly be the Nen that Misaki was talking about?

The man had gotten up from the wreckage of the floor, cracking his knuckles as if he wanted a fight. "Not bad," he sneered. "But can you dodge this?"

Suddenly something heavy seemed to be pressing in on me from all sides, as if the air had become thick with slime, weighing me down and choking off my breath. The bloodlust I'd felt earlier seemed to have intensified a hundredfold; the waves of killing intent radiating off of him were making it difficult to think.

Shakily I got into a guarded stance as he lunged for me, his arm drawn back and pulsing with energy, his eyes glinting just as Gairu's had.

Gairu, the one who tried to kill me -

I was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear. _Move it! MOVE IT!_ Mentally I screamed at myself to get a grip, but I could do nothing. _Where did my strength go?_ I could only stand there as death approached, because wasn't that what awaited me? Bracing myself for the pain that was sure to follow, my eyes squeezed shut on their own accord.

 _Shk!_

My eyes snapped open. The bloodlust abruptly dissipated, the air became lighter and I gasped for breath as the man collapsed not even three feet away from me.

 _I'm...I'm saved…_

A pool of blood began to spread around his head, seeping between the broken tiles that still littered the floor. I looked around wildly, but there was no one else in sight save the lone receptionist at the end of the hall...who was miraculously unperturbed by the events that had just unfolded in front of her. Somehow, she had even fallen asleep! Was something like this a normal occurrence…?

Taking a deep breath, I looked at the dead man on the floor, vaguely wondering about what that _Shk!_ sound had been. A quick inspection answered my question, however.

 _Wait, who threw this?_

There was a bloody playing card embedded in his skull.

* * *

Once I had registered I hurriedly scurried off to my new room, eager to avoid further life-threatening situations. I'd had enough of being constantly intimidated! And before anyone else decided to ambush me, I'd have to learn about _Nen_ , the strange energy that apparently bestowed the user great strength.

But the moment I threw open the door to my room, I was once again unpleasantly surprised to find that someone was already inside.

 _Holy crap, not another one…_

Within a millisecond I had slammed the door shut and turned to get the hell away. But Fate seemed to have a grudge against me, because I didn't make it very far before colliding with something solid.

"How rude~"

As soon as I looked up, my eyes met with two amber ones, narrowed in a sly grin. _A clown_ , was the first thing I thought as I took in his appearance. Pointy shoes, jester's outfit, and bright red hair? Definitely a clown.

 _Dangerous_ , was my next thought as bloodlust snaked its way through the air.

 _RUN._

 _Too late._ "Let go of me!" I yelled as he scooped me up with one arm. Obviously he didn't comply, and before I knew it he had tossed me headfirst into my own room. _Wait, how did he get in?! What is he doing?!_

I scrambled to my feet at once, intending to maneuver towards the window and hopefully make an escape. But my limbs wouldn't move. Something seemed to be restricting them.

 _Huh?_

It was that energy again. Nen. That must be it… I stopped struggling, noting that the clown had not yet made a move to injure me despite being so much more powerful. He chuckled as he shut the door to my room and sat down leaning against it, the bloodlust gone or suppressed. My poor heart, which had been racing at the prospect of death, slowly calmed down to a steady beat. _I think I'm safe for now, at least..._

"What do you want?" I asked warily.

"That's my secret~" Seemingly out of thin air he produced a deck of cards and began to shuffle them, staring at me creepily the whole time. _Wow. Even has a deck of cards. Just how much of a clown is he…? You know what, now I kind of understand why some people are afraid of clowns..._

"Wait a minute, you were the one who threw the card! Right?"

"Correct~!" _Tr-rppp_. The cards shifted in a blur as he continued to shuffle them.

I tried moving my arms. Nope, still stuck. My legs too. And the thing binding me seemed to be getting tighter. _Should I ask? Maybe he'll answer, maybe not… Whatever, I'll do it!_ "...Are you using Nen on me?"

"Correct~!" _Ft-rpppshhh._ He was shuffling faster and faster. I eyed the cards suspiciously - they were potential weapons, after all.

"...Could you stop with the Nen?"

"So much talk... Don't try to run away, now~" He didn't move from his spot, but I relaxed slightly as I felt the pressure restraining my body receding. That didn't stop me from getting into a guarded stance, however. Never know what might happen next.

"Ufufu...that look is refreshing~" A hungry gleam came into his eye and I backed away, tensing as the bloodlust returned full force. This creep…

"But no worries, I'm not going to hurt you~ You're still too unripe for that~"

"Then what are you doing here? How did you get into my room, anyway?"

"Nothing a little money can't do~ Well…" he gave me a weird look. "I was going to _initiate_ you but it seems there's no need~"

"What do you mean?"

"Questions, questions~ Just hurry up and start using your Nen. Otherwise…" I jumped a little as he suddenly stood up in one graceful movement, the cards disappearing as quickly as he had summoned them.

"...you'll die~"

With that final ominous warning, he flicked one last card at me before vanishing in a puff of smoke. That's right, a puff of smoke. So cheesy...

I looked down at the card apprehensively. _The Ace of Spades._

 _Dammit, how am I going to learn Nen before my next fight?_

* * *

My dreams that night were restless and full of shadowy figures, echoing laughter resounding through my head. Needless to say, I did not get a good night's sleep.

Luckily, I had scheduled my next match to be in three months (the maximum interval allowed) so that I could research _Nen_. I didn't need Hisoka's cryptic warning to know that I was incredibly vulnerable in my current state. Hisoka, the creepy clown. Apparently he was pretty famous among the fighters of the Arena. Famous for being a tricky and ruthless fighter, that is.

Great. Another monster to watch out for…

Having been unable to find any information on _Nen_ when I visited an internet cafe earlier that morning, I'd resorted to staying in my room attempting to figure it out on my own. The energy that I sensed whenever I meditated felt very similar to the _Nen_ I'd encountered so far, so I decided to start by investigating that.

 _Okay, Akane. Clear your mind. Focus…_

 _...There it is._

Up until this point I had only been vaguely aware of the sensation of something flowing through my body, spreading faintly throughout my systems. It had come gradually, over the course of many months spent sitting outside on Mizu's porch under the gentle rays of the sun. Slowly it had awakened from sleep, becoming more vibrant and defined as time passed by. I had accepted it as something that was just there, ever present like the beating of my heart; but now that I was on alert, it became painfully obvious to me that what I had been feeling was _Nen_.

 _Great. Now, how do I use it?_

Tentatively I opened my eyes, wondering whether I ought to call Mizu. But what I saw came as a bit of a shock.

 _What is this?!_

Surrounding my body was what appeared to be a fine white mist, swirling smoothly around me like a warm shroud. This...had never happened to me before.

I raised my hands in front of me, gazing at them in awe. They seemed to glow with energy, to be enveloped by a radiant aura… _Yeah, I think I'll call this my 'Nen aura'. Sounds fitting._

Before long, I started to notice the fatigue. The longer I allowed the _Nen_ aura to flow around me, the more tired I became. So perhaps I'd have to limit the Nen to my body…? Time to experiment! I closed my eyes again and willed the swirling mass of energy to contract, to pull inwards, to condense. Within seconds I had it under control: now, rather than a fine white mist, the energy felt more like a thick coating of fluid. Kind of like lightweight armor, actually.

 _Nice. This isn't too hard…_

 _Okay, next. How shall I use Nen to strengthen my punches?_

I stared at my hand dubiously. It was glowing more brightly than before, but other than that it felt normal. I even took a few practice swings, but my punches didn't seem that much stronger or faster.

 _Hey, why don't I try hitting the wall? Wait, no. Bad idea. How about...that pillow?_

Positioning the pillow on top of a stool, I gave it a quick punch. It flew across the room and smacked into the wall, but other than that, nothing special happened.

Hmmm.

 _Hold on. Is it possible to send more energy - er, Nen - to one specific place?_

This time I willed myself to send waves of my Nen towards my right hand, pulling energy from other parts of my body. It was rather tedious. The more energy I pulled towards my hand, the harder it was to keep it all gathered there. But finally, after about a minute, I managed to keep a steady flow of Nen around my hand. Anticipation mounting, I grabbed the pillow and stuck it back onto the stool.

Okay, three, two, one...BAM!

As soon as I punched the pillow it exploded into a flurry of feathers mid-air, bits of fluff and fabric flying everywhere. No, seriously. It was like a fur bomb. The terribly ripped-up remains of the pillow were still falling through the air when I finally stopped gaping at what I had just done.

 _...Wow._

 _So this is what Nen can do._

I was going to have a long day ahead of me.

* * *

 **A/N: And so, Akane finally learns about Nen! Only one innocent pillow was harmed in the process. Don't try it at home, kids.**

 **Next update will be (hopefully) by next week.**

 **Fun(?) Fact: Akane's favorite food is...chocolate! Eheheheh. And rice pudding.  
**


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